Coursers They Came

Sweet baby reindeer! It’s almost Christmas and we’ve got a lot of wrapping to do.

Last weekend’s episode is live online and in iTunes. In it, we shared quotations about writing, talked about whether “ladies” is offensive, speculated about “defugalty” (a spelling pronunciation of “difficulty”), the football term “pick six,” and a whole lot more. Listen now.

• The number of people aged five and older in the US who speak English less than very well, according to the US Census Bureau, has increased 80 percent between 1990 and 2010 and now accounts for 9 percent of the population.

• What’s the smelling equivalent of “in sight” (close enough to see), “in earshot” (close enough to hear), and “in reach” (close enough to touch)? The community at Metafilter tries to fill this linguistic gap.

Just nine days ago we started our end-of-year fundraising campaign. Our goal: $25,000 by December 30th. The show, produced by a nonprofit that receives no money from NPR nor from any station, will use the money, in part, to pay for an increase in the cost of distributing the program by satellite.

Well, we’re almost there! We’ve raised a little more than $21,000 so far! If you haven’t yet given, will you help?

You’re supporting more than a radio show. You’re supporting a community of likeminded people who believe in lifelong learning, better human communication, and the joy of a thing well-said or well written.

Sponsored in part by:

Gee and Haw 03/12/2018: The highly specialized vocabulary of people who work outdoors, communicating with sled dogs, a word from the sport of rock-climbing, church key, browse line, smeuse,... [more]

Gung Ho 03/05/2018: The origins of the peace symbol, why we say someone who's enthusiastic is gung ho, a tasty spin on stuffed foccacia that originated in eastern... [more]

Crusticles and Fenderbergs 02/12/2018: A second-generation Filipino-American finds that when he speaks English, his personality is firm, direct, and matter-of-fact. But when he speaks with family members in Tagalog,... [more]

Bun in the Oven 02/05/2018: How many different ways are there to say you have a baby on the way? You can say you're pregnant, great with child, clucky, awkward,... [more]

Flying Pickle 01/29/2018: How would you like to be welcomed to married life by friends and neighbors descending on your home for a noisy celebration, tearing off the... [more]

Gee and Haw 03/12/2018: The highly specialized vocabulary of people who work outdoors, communicating with sled dogs, a word from the sport of rock-climbing, church key, browse line, smeuse,... [more]

Gung Ho 03/05/2018: The origins of the peace symbol, why we say someone who's enthusiastic is gung ho, a tasty spin on stuffed foccacia that originated in eastern... [more]

Crusticles and Fenderbergs 02/12/2018: A second-generation Filipino-American finds that when he speaks English, his personality is firm, direct, and matter-of-fact. But when he speaks with family members in Tagalog,... [more]

Bun in the Oven 02/05/2018: How many different ways are there to say you have a baby on the way? You can say you're pregnant, great with child, clucky, awkward,... [more]

Flying Pickle 01/29/2018: How would you like to be welcomed to married life by friends and neighbors descending on your home for a noisy celebration, tearing off the... [more]

Happy as Larry 01/22/2018: New research shows that you may be less influenced by superstitious behavior like walking under ladders or the magic of four-leaf clovers if you're reading... [more]